Brendan McDowell, managing director of B Perfect Cosmetics, recently appeared on Dragons’ Den on RTÉ where he secured significant funding from two Dragons to help drive the company to global success.
What was your first job?
I worked in a fish factory in Annalong during the summer holidays when I was aged 11. My job was making boxes and putting fish on sticks ready to be smoked.
What qualifications do you have?
I have a GNVC in construction in the built environment. I then went on to University to study building and engineering, but I knew very quickly that it wasn’t for me and dropped out after three months.
What do you attribute your success to?
My dad, who passed away when I was 21. He was such a hard worker and for the most of his life worked for other people. About four years before he passed away he started his own business and always wished he’d done it sooner. From that moment on I knew I wanted to do my own thing and make my dad proud.
How would you describe yourself to someone who’d never met you?
Hardworking and a risk-taker. I am always thinking of and developing new ideas and find it hard to switch off.
Who do you look up to in business?
My friend Victoria Mann who opened her first coffee shop in her early twenties and now has four or five outlets. Mann’s is now doing fantastically well and it is all down to her hard work and determination.
How do you get the best out of people who work for you?
For our business – it is all down to sales – the better the sales the higher the rewards. If you reward and value your staff they are more likely to stay with you. I treat them with respect and have a good rapport and am very aware that without them there would be no BPerfect. My sister, Leeane McDowell, has been with me since day one and is a great support and hard worker. My mum has the official role as ‘chief advisor’. I am lucky to have this great support network and always try to show my appreciation to the team whenever I can.
If you could change one thing about doing business in Northern Ireland, what would it be?
There are not trade events in comparison to Dublin. Shows are how we have grown our business, from starting out with just £500 taking a stand at the Kennedy Centre to turning over £250,000 in just three years. We have had to travel the length and breadth of Ireland and the UK to do that. If Northern Ireland had more trade events, we may have reached our goals quicker.
What website or app could you not do without?
Snapchat is a brilliant platform for product development. It allows you to watch influencers use products in real-time. It allows you to have more of a connection with your followers than say Facebook or Twitter. It also means you can see the results instantly as you see a spike in sales.
What was the last book you read?
Feel the Fear And Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers.
Tell us something interesting about yourself
I have completed the Belfast Marathon three times.
What’s your greatest passion outside work and family?
I love travelling and seeing different parts of the world and when I go away and look for new ideas and inspiration. I am also a gym lover and go there to let off steam.
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